


Braid Buddies

by PinkGem



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Braids, Exhausting hunts, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Hotels, M/M, Prompto knows his hair stuff, bratty Noctis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 14:58:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12213210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkGem/pseuds/PinkGem
Summary: Prompto loves helping people, it's what he has always loved doing, especially his friends,  even with small tasks. When he notices Galdio's hair not agreeing with him one night, he steps forward to offer his assistance.





	Braid Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. First of all, I am glad to have people reading my works. I know it's not the best stuff around, but I do try my best.
> 
> This is actually an updated version as the first one was updated on the posted date,   
> Late 2017, while this newer updated version is being posted Sept 7th, 2018. I fixed all the grammer issues and problems, as well as adding over 3000 words to make this story more fleshed out and enjoyable to read. So it's an overall better experience this time than the old works.   
> ( looking back, the old one was quite bad. Maybe that's just me.)
> 
> So Holy smokes, that is alot more words than I could hope for this story!
> 
> So please, comment and let me know what you think, as I always wish to grow more with my writing.
> 
> Thanks to all who read, and I hope you enjoy.

“ Oh man, that was one crazy hunt you guys!” Prompto cried out as he ran up the stairs and threw the hotel door open with the slam of both hands, revealing a simple bedroom holding twin sized beds, accompanied by a small nightstand and table that sat deep within the corner of the musky walls.

Not phased by the disgusting display of accommodations, a small sigh of relief flew from his lips at the is welcoming sight of the bed. Drops of water fell off his frame, making bot so small puddles on the carpeted floor. In hindsight, he knew deep down the maids of the hotel would be screaming at them for their negligence of their wooden floors, but it didn’t matter at the moment. He proceeded to walk into the room, His three other companions followed right behind him, steps not as fast as the blond.

All were exhausted, yes, even the blond, but they perspire anyways. The hunt their had taken on had lasted far longer than they anticipated. The man who had asked, no, pleaded them to rid of the foul beast told them it would have been a simple task between the four of them. 

Well, he was part right.

The hunt wasn’t hard per say, slay the beast that was terrorizing the small local village and save the day. Simple enough. If only wishes came true. The request had been far too time consuming, running and chasing the animal until they were left exhausted. Before they knew it, thick black clouds, heavy with rain just waiting to sprinkle to the ground conveyed the everlasting sky. Even when they disbanded the quest and ran to the car, rain pelted them from every side, killing all spirits with the snap of the finger.

The drive back to find a hotel didn’t go smoothly either. Ignis has been on edge, eyes searching the horizon while the others only seemed to annoy him. Oh well. Anything did nowadays.

It didn’t stop Prompto from distantly admiring the chilled breeze that enthralled him as he opened the wooden door. The deep chill was almost welcoming. 

Almost.

Shuddering, he hugged his thin jacket closer to his body in an attempt to warm himself up. The task seemed to hard to complete as the cold was far more stronger than the non existent heat. Groaning to himself, he slapped his hands on his arms, at least happy enough to know he hadn’t froze to death.

Before entering the room and tossing his ass into the closest shower available, the blond turned back into the hallway and glanced at his companions who were slowly, painfully so, slugging their way up the stairs, each placing hands on the rails to keep their bodies up. Their feet shuffled along the loosely carpeted floor, gunk from who knows what followed after the. Once brushed and lavish hair was now flat against their heads, heavy and unfavourable like they had literally just walked out of a swimming pool and neither of them were happy about it. The clothes now clung to their bodies, acting like a second skin. All in all, they looked like a miserable bunch.

A mess.

A pile of crap.

Prompto laughed lightly to himself, hiding back to prompt to snort. That wouldn’t end well on his part if he did. Beat keep quiet and keep himself alive.

“Hurry up guys! What are you, a bunch of sleepy Chocobo’s? I bet even they could be faster! I really want to get out of these clothes and get warm!” he cried out, smiling wide, not knowing why himself. It just felt the time to do so.

Expecting to hear back a snarky reply, a series of groans came forth. One particularly louder from Noctics, who had now glad at the blond so hard, his eyes were turning red. It was easy to tell from the thick black hair, even when the shielded those stunning eyes.

“ Yeah, we all do. But care to tell me why it took a while longer because a certain someone wanted to take a picture of that stupid rock they found oh so fascinating?” he mocked back, flinging his fingers about before throwing them under his armpits to provide warmth.

Prompto rolled his eyes playfully and apologetically. He couldnt help himself. If he saw something he liked, he had to take a picture. It’s just how he was.

“ Sorry dude, but you have to agree that that rock was amazing looking! I know even you enjoyed it, so don’t lie to me. And plus, when would we have ever seen something so cool like that again? “

“ Its not worth this, and it pissed me off to this otherwise. “ Noctis muttered darkly, shoving past Prompto and headed towards the bathroom, stomping all the way. He slammed the door behind him, shaking the very room within the building. The sound of running water soon reached the blonds ears.

“Geez! What’s his problem?” Prompto said his breath.  
A gentle hand lay of his shoulder, causing him to jump out of his skin and look up to the taller man. Ignis, the advisor and dubbed ‘mother’ of the group gently strolled by and Walter into the room, sighing through his nose as his tired green eyes glanced about the room.

“ His Highness is just exhausted, that’s all. He will feel better when he gets his nap. That, as we all should hope for.”

Gladio, the older one of the group and a freaking beefy man laughed loudly behind them and slapped Prompto heartily on his back. “ You should know by now that the Princess needs at least 18 hours of sleep to feel satisfied. Even then, I would question it. “

Grinning with the larger man, Prompto nodded. “Just like a cat!”

“Alright gentlemen ,that’s enough.” Ignis piped in, taking his soaked shoes and placing them at the doors entrance. Prompto and Gladio followed suit.

Silently, Ignis began to take his soaking wet clothes off, grimacing at the discomforting feeling and started to fold them neatly on the edge of the bed, away from the pillows that could cause a disturbance with the linens. He reached inside of his bag and started pulling out clean clothes. With a blink, he looked up to the other two, wondering why they had yet to follow his actions and continued.

“ Gentlemen, if you so kindly take your dirty clothes off and put them in a pile, I will do laundry as soon as I can.Do not throw them on the ground.” He said giving them a stern look, more so towards Prompto.

Prompto just waved him off. “Yeah, Yeah.”

Just as the words left his mouth, his fingers snagged on the edge of his vest, leaving the diet to be covered in a thick film of water and gunk. And that’s not all, his entire vest was covered in the substance. A deep frown was painted on his face.

This is going to take a while to clean out...

Knowing he was screwed either way, he started to undress. First with his pants as they seemed to be easier to tend to. Well, he shimmied and squirmed about like a worm as the water made them very well difficult to remove without his ridiculous fight. One point, he nearly toppled over, crying out and flinging his arms out to balance himself before any damage could offend him. The act did earn him a hearty chuckle from the shield from the other side of the bedroom while he undressed as well. He stick his tongue out at the older man as he bunched up his soiled clothes and tossed them to the floor. Not even a second brushed by when Ignis smacked him hard alongside his head.

“What did I just tell you?” Ignis said in a huff. He reached down, grabbing the clothes and piling them up with his own,ready to take downstairs to get cleaned. “ Don’t ruin your clothes more than you have to. We don’t have the funds for the time being to buy you new ones.”

“Sorry Ignis.”

Ignis just sighed in response, still frowning and glaring at the wall.

With his clothes removed and only standing in his boxers, and nothing to keep the cold away, Prompto shivered. Not that his wet clothes would have done much to keep him warm anyways, he hugged his arms to his body, running his hands across his skin to attract heat, but the water dripping from his hair dripped down his exposed skin, preventing any heat from happening.

“ Oh man! It’s freezing!” He cried out, padding his way to the bathroom door and proceeded to knock loudly against the blistered wood. “ Noct! Hurry up! We’re freezing out here! You do understand other humans need warmth to survive right? So hurry your ass up!”

No response. Only thing he could hear was the rushing water.

Prompto groaned.

“ Ugh, Noct!”

“Please be patient, Prompto. I’m sure he will only take a few more moments.” Ignis said as he walked towards Prompto, blanket in hand. Skilfully, he quickly began to wrap the blond in the thick, plush blanket, engulfing him in warmth he so desperately desired. A large smiled plastered itself on thr blonds face, grinning ear to ear.

Not waiting any longer, he snuggled into the material, rubbing his cold cheek and gave Ignis a longing glance. 

“ Thanks, Ignis. “

The advisor returned the smile but did not speak out. He was far too exhausted in order to do so. Hoping the smile was enough, he sighed out again and strolled away from the younger and went to join Gladio at the table who was still clad in his boxers, proud at the fact he was nearly naked. While he didn’t have the need to cover up, he still looked unsettled and chillies, waiting just like the rest of them for a much needed shower.

Satisfied with his newfound warmth, Prompto sat down at the edge of one of the beds, settling his rump to get as comfortable as he could while smothered like a caterpillar. He looked about the room, trying to keep himself busy and away from the thoughts of jumping into the shower. Nothing too interesting littered the room. He wanted to play King’s Knight, but that would require him to leave the confines of his cocoon and grab his phone. And he knew that idea was not worth it. Not at all.

He sent a look towards Ignis and Gladio , who were now talking quietly amongst themselves. Ignis no doubt talking about what to cook for dinner, or what to do next as they couldn’t very well go out with the little money they had. At that thought, Prompto’s stomach decided to growl, letting the other two know that it demanded food. A blush crept up on his cheeks, lighting him up a deep pink as crystal blue eyes grew wide with embarrassment. 

The two looked up, necks sharp, but it was Gladio who snorted playfully and gave the younger his full attention. 

“ Well someone sure is hungry! I heard that a mile away.”

Ignis nodded, hair now somewhat dried and moved with the slight gust. ” Yes, we all are. Today very well took a lot of our strength. I will start dinner as soon as you are finished getting clean.”

“ What? After all of us? That might take some time then. Why don’t you take your turn next Ignis?” Gladio asked, giving the other a sharp look.

“ I assure you, I can wait. While I appreciate it, I believe it would be best if you two go before I do. I don’t want you catching cold.” Ignis said with mild concern, green eyes flashing.

Prompto smiled and shook his head. “ I’m ok Ignis. I can wait. And besides, I’m really cosy right now too!” he gestured to himself being swaddled in the blanket, giving off the best smile he could for good measure.

” If you’re sure.”

“ Mmhmm!”

He lay back on the bed, resting his head on the duvet and shifted around to make himself more comfortable on the bed. When he finally got situated, he looked like a fluffed out chocobo chick.

Everything was silent again. The sound of running water could no longer he heard, finally indicating Noctis was finished. A moment later, the bathroom door opened, letting out a puff of steam like a mage stick being was being presented to them. Instead, it was only Noctis, who looked clean as a whistle, but still exhausted. He slowly walked towards the beds, his once dirty hair, now fresh and clean, now drying, began to fluff out. He was wrapped in a fluffy white housecoat provided by the hotel, clean clothes hiding underneath.

Prompto stirred from the bed, eyes thick with sleep.” About time you got out!”

Noctis just shrugged and sat on the opposite bed from Prompto, eyes closed and staring at his lap. “ So who’s next?”

Prompto went to get up, but Gladio sent him a look, stilling him, then Ignis, as if daring to fight back to chance to go last. Ignis sighed through his nose in defeat.

“ That would be me then.” Ignis said as he got up from the table; grabbing his clean clothes sitting atop the bed and quickly walked to the bathroom without another word and closed the door gently behind him. The sound of water could be heard once again.

The room was quiet once more, besides the occasional turning of the page from Gladio’s book and Noctis rummaging through his bag. The quiet was nice for a change and much appreciated. 

Being at his most content all day, Prompto’s eyes closed as he began to doze off. The heavenly feeling of being warm ajnd comfortable was just what he needed right now.Close to fully being asleep, a body was dipped on the bed, startling him and causing him to look up. Noctis was right above him, phone in hand.

“Hey,you wanna play King’s Knight?” 

Prompto didn’t answer. He turned his body as much as he was able, facing away from Noctis and cocooned himself more into the blankets. Just when he thought he was able to sleep, he felt a finger poking him continuously on his lower back. Even through the thick material, it still irritated him.

“Stop it...” He muttered. Not having much strength to stop the attack himself.

But the poking didn’t stop. 

The poking continued, and became harder, which caused a growl to form in Prompto’s throat. He was just too tired to deal with this shit.

“ Noct! Stop it!” he whined, facing the prince, who had a large grin on his face. Clearly he thought it was entertaining ,but to Prompto, he was annoyed to hell.

“ No way! I think this is more fun than King’s Knight.” Noctis said with a chuckle. He finally decided to stop and go back to his phone, which Prompto was thankful for. Before he could rest his head once again, heavy footsteps could be heard walking towards him.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep. Ignis will get mad if you fall asleep before eating. You know he will have a fit. And besides, it’s almost your turn for a shower.” Gladio said as he crossed his arms, peering down at the blankets that swarmed the blond.

“ Fine.”

A second later, Ignis walked out of the bathroom, looking prim and proper. Clean wet hair lay flat and skin a little red from the hot shower. He too was in a fluffy bathrobe, perfectly framing his body like the gods themselves. Or what he thought. He wondered over to the bed, feet feather light and placed a gentle hand on the bundle of blankets, amused at the blonds antics.

“Prompto, it’s your turn now.”

With the help of Ignis and Noctis, they untangled him from his cocoon, which had him shivering again from being torn from his haven. Not wanting to be cold any longer, he dashed for the bathroom and slammed the door shut. As soon as the door was closed, he peeled his boxers off and jumped into the shower, turning it as hot as he could stand. The hot water was heavenly. It soothed his aching muscles and bones, giving him new strength. He didn’t know how long he spent under the shower head, scrubbing to make sure all dirt and grime was gone off his person, but he didn’t care. This was his time. He was going to enjoy it!

He decided to exit the shower when his skin started to prune. He turned the handle to stop the water and stepped out of the shower doors and grabbed the towel set atop the toilet seat. Happy at finally being clean, Prompto stood in front of the mirror as he dried the water from his body. The towel was just as inviting and fluffy as the bathrobes were. When both his body and hair were dried, he put the rode on and left the bathroom to be greeting to the wondrous smell of Ignis’ cooking.

Prompto’s mouth started to salivate.

The smell had him set off into the kitchen, completely unaware that Noctis was watching him skipping into other room and Gladio get up from the table and eagerly going to the bathroom for his shower. When he entered the kitchen area, he saw Ignis leaning over the stove, stirring ingredients in a pot, book firmly placed in one hand.

“Oh Ignis! It smells amazing!”

Ignis looked up from his book, dog-eared it and placed in on the counter.

“Well I sure hope so. We’re having Dagger quill rice tonight. I know it’s your favorite. “

The second those words left Ignis’ lips, he jumped for joy. “ Ignis, your the best!” 

The advisor just smirked at the younger boy and confined the need to roll his eyes. “ Yes, I thought this dish in particular would help us all regain our strength. It’s rich with nutrients that we all so very need. I just hope we have enough to feed us all. “ He peered over his shoulders, glancing back to the young prince before quickly leaning towards Prompto and whispered “ And it’s a very effective way to hide the vegetables within the sauce, if I’m not mistaken.”

Prompto pulled back, eyes wide and snickered to the taller man. “ Sneaky, sneaky Ignis!”

“Whatever it takes to get His Highness to eat his greens.” Ignis replied back as he went back to stirring the pot, focus now back on the food than the others. 

“ Do you need help with anything right now?”

Ignis shook his head as he continued stirring, his attention set on the pot. “Thank you Prompto, But I’m good. For the time being that is. It might change when clean-up is in order.” 

With that, he grabbed his book from were it lay on the counter, and went back to reading. Prompto took that cue to leave the kitchen and head back to the beds and join Noctis in whatever he decided to kill the time with. The prince in question was lying on his stomach to the bed, completely absorbed into his game, fingers pressing away at the screen with little effort. As soon as Prompto sat on the plush beds, he flopped over and pushed his face into the pillow.

So comfortable...

His friend never acknowledge his presence, so he took that moment to finally rest. Blissfully, he closed his eyes yet again. His body was far too exhausted to stay fully awake. And just like the flick of a switch, he sank fully into the bed, allowing his weary body to dive into the deepest depths of sleep. For once, he was happy to accept defeat. 

 

 

\----

 

 

“..pto...wa..up!”

Ugh...

A hand, very warm, was placed on his shoulder, shaking him.

“...Prompto. Wake up.”

What?

The shaking continued, but rougher, not ever giving Prompto the idea of it letting up.

“Prompto!”

A long whine escaped his lips before he could even process what was even going on. A chuckle sounded off beside him, instantly making him blink the grogginess out of his eyes and yawned widely. He attempted to sit up, but his body did not want to obey, arms not wanting to hold his weight up. His blue eyes almost hidden behind heavy eyelids, we’re tempted to close again.

“What do you want? “ 

Noctis was perched beside him, hand still resting on his shoulder, making sure that Prompto didn’t return back to sleep. A stupid grin was plastered on his face. So not like him.

“Specs said dinner is ready.” He said as he let his hold go from Prompto’s shoulder and leapt off the bed, heading to the kitchen area.

Prompto watched him leave, Co fused if what had just happened was even real. It didn’t seem real. Not at all. His sleepy brain gad still yet to turn on and focus like a normal brain. And that tended to take some extra time, especially when he felt inches from passing out again.

Finally giving up, he lifted his head from the pillow. The left side of his face suddenly became cold, much to Prompto’s surprise. Fingers lightly brushed his cheeks only to discover is wet and not so pleasant. Fearing what it could be, he looked down to his pillow and saw a large dark coloured patch on the material.

A drool stain. Perfect. 

He sighed.

Ignis was going to have a basket of kittens if he saw it. Oh well. Suck it up like a man and take it really. Not much he could do.

With his body feeling super heavy for him to really move, much alone get out of bed. Feeling the effects of exhaustion once again, his head flopped into the pillow. Just when he thought he was about to fall asleep and dream the sweetest of dreams, the door burst open, and feet thundered from the floor, shaking the very foundations of the room, then a crushing weight pressed into him, stealing the little air he had in his lungs and pushed it out, making him dizzy with pain that exploded from all over.

“Ah Noct! What the hell? “ he screeched, throwing his hand back to slap the prince of the shoulder to get him off. The glare he sent didn’t steer him in the other direction. In fact, it only brightened to stupid grin from before while the raven was sprawled out on tip of him, rendering the blond useless. “ Dude! Did you just jump on me!?” 

 

With all of his might, he tried pushing the prince off, who was fighting back, putting as much weight as he could on the blond, holding him down. Noctis laughed mirthfully and slapped Prompto hard on the back, getting a shriek in return. The two continued to fight each other, both unaware of Ignis standing at the doorway, arms crossed firmly over his chest, scowl on his face. 

“Honestly, cant leave them alone for even five minutes.” Ignis sighed deeply to himself.

Now allowing the childish game to continue any longer, he clapped his hands loudly, catching the attention of the younger two. “Dinner is ready. Your Highness, get off of Prompto now before you hurt him.”

Noctis slowly got off of Prompto, obeying his advisor without complaint, but not without giving him another playful punch to his back. Upon the hit, the blond proceeded to yell profanities ,but was not clearly heard by the laughter from the prince as he dashed out of the room.

With him gone, Ignis stepped forward.

“Come Prompto. Its time to eat. We don’t want the food getting cold, now do we?” he said as he assisted on untangling the blond from his temporary prison. When finally free, they headed into the kitchen. The dinning table already had the food served generously on plates, ready to be eaten. Ignis was never one to be cheap on food, especially when it came to his dishes. The more food on the plate, the better.

From the smell alone,Prompto’s mouth had began watering. Daggerquill Rice was his favourite.

He ran to the table and eagerly sat down, grabbed his fork and knife, ready to dig in. The three sat with him, waiting for Ignis to join them before they dug into a promising meal. And as much as Prompto wanted to devour his meal in one bite, it was only polite to wait for the person who actually cooked the food and enjoy it together. As he watched Ignis round the other side of the table towards his seat, something caught his eye. 

Gladio looked a bit different. No, he wasn’t scowling or have anything particularly on his face, nor was his clothes missing, as just like he, all wore a brand new pair of clean clothing, it was something else. Something Prompto never really partook in noticing before. His eyes trailed up a few inches from his amber eyes, until they came to an abrupt halt.

Then it hit him.

Oh gods! Look at his hair!

Gladio’s hair was a mess, to say the least. Hair that was normally fluffy and thick, much like the majestic angel of a lions and brushed back with minimal care,but still looked good no matter what he did with it, was sticking in every direction and bunched up into knots and looked like it had never been cared for in decades. This was the literal term for a ‘rats nest’.

Prompto broke out into a fit of giggles. He had tried to stifle the sounds behind his hand, but unfortunately, it caught the attention of the very man he was laughing at. A small smile grew on the shields lips, wondering what the commotion was about.

“What’s so funny, kid?”

“Nothing!”

Gladio rolled his eyes, not believing him in the slightest.  
The bottom of a chair scraped along the floor pulled them apart as Ignis tucked himself up against the table. Professionally, he grabbed his fork and nodded to the others. 

“Alright gentlemen, time to eat.”

Dinner went smoothly, but quietly as they were all still tired from the hunt. The sounds of cutlery occupied most the meal as No one had the heart to start up a conversation. And that was fine with them.

Prompto devoured his meal like promised and even went back for seconds, hoping to fill his empty stomach as much as he could. Gladio and Noctis finished the meals slowly after, but didn’t go up for seconds, so they left to go play on their phones in the other room, leaving Ignis and Prompto in the kitchen. He as just finishing up, when he walked up to ignis, who was just starting to fill the small sink with hot soapy water, getting ready to start cleaning the dishes as he always did.

“Do you need any help,Ignis?” Prompto asked as he set the plate down on the counter with the other dishes with a gentle thud, afraid the clang might upset the advisor.

Ignis shook his head, eyes fast upon the water that slowly filled up the sink.

“No, I’m quite alright. Thank you for volunteering, Prompto. It is much appreciated. “

“Are you sure? I mean, you did cook us dinner. It’s only fair for us to clean up, don’t you think?”

Ignis pulled away from the sink and gave Prompto a deep smile. Through his exhausted emerald eyes, layered deep with black rims underneath, Prompto could see how happy Ignis was indeed with the simple gesture. Still, seeing those eyes sent a ping of guilt through him. 

“ I assure you, I will be alright. Why don’t you go join the others? I will only be a few moments.” He said as he started to grab some of the dishes and dunk them into the sink, ending the conversation and any attempts Prompto could try to make and convince the other they could help.

Oh well. His mind was set in stone.

Shrugging to himself and knowing when to call it quits, Prompto left the kitchen to return to the bedroom. He once again saw his best friend sitting on one of the beds, face pressed up to his phone, fingers tapping at the screen at an alarming rate. But soon his attention was on Gladio, who was perched at the edge of the other bed, groaning in discomfort, brush in hand, pulling at his hair, trying to smooth out the knots deep to the very roots of his scalp.

He immediately jumped into action.

“Hey stop! You will cause more damage to your hair that way!” he cried out, leaping over to the bed and grabbed the brush from Gladio’s fingers and pulled it away from the shield like it was a weapon.

Gladio raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “ Huh? What are you talking about?”

“If your too rough, you’ll damage your hair. That’s also a great way for pulling it out, and frankly, I don’t want to see you going bald an time soon. Not when you have the hair of the gods themselves.” He said with a giggle.

Gladio didn’t find the idea of going bald funny either, but rolled his eyes playfully and pressed on. “ Ok, but I’ll have to brush it sooner or later.” He stretched his hand out. “ So give it back.”

Prompto stepped back, brush gripped tightly in his hands. He wanted to help Gladio so much. He always wanted helped him when he needed it.Even though this task was simple enough and anyone could do it, he just wanted to show appreciation towards the big guy. But maybe this was something that didn’t need help for. 

“ Well, how about I do it for you?”

“Excuse me?”

He stood still for a moment, eyes shifting about as a bead of nervous sweat beaded on his forehead. The brush was lifted and rested up against his chest. Had he offended Gladio in some way? Thinking that he wasn’t able to something so trivial as brushing ones hair? Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything after all. He was a grown man for gods sake. He could easily do this on his own. It was a mistake. Without thinking, his mouth blurted out the words.

“Let me do it for you.” He repeated.

“Fine. “

What? Really?

“R-really? You’ll let me do it?”

Gladio just shrugged, lips pursed together and giving the blond a side glance through his long locks. “ Sure,if you know how to fix this mess. And if you so much as tear out anymore hair, I won’t hold back from kicking your scrony little ass into next week, ya hear?” he added playfully. 

“Deal!” Prompto nodded with excitement. He walked towards Gladio. When he reached him, he gently pushed him off the bed with gentle yet affirming hands.

“Huh?”

“I’ll need you so sit on the ground so I can get a perfect angle ,ok? Otherwise, I won’t be able to do my job correctly!” he confirmed, giving a thumbs up and tossed the brush on the bed. Once it settled, he grabbed a pillow and threw it to Gladio, who caught it in his hand easily and placed it on the floor and sat on top of it, making himself comfortable. 

“Sure.” 

Prompto sat on the bed, hands glossing over the smooth duvet with a curt smile until Gladio scooted back, his own back pressed up against the bed and situated himself in between the younger man thighs.

“Alright,let’s do this. “ 

Once the shield gave a nod, he brought his fingers to the front Gladio’s hairline and carefully racked his fingers through the thick knotted locks, trying to be as gentle as he could. He didn’t want this event to be painful. Not in the slightest. Like he had seen the girls in class do so many times, he made small strands, and worked his way through into bigger pieces. This went on for who knows how many minutes while he rubbed his fingers deep into the hair, rubbing the skin. 

Gladio had moaned out a few times, though small, enjoying the contact thoroughly. Upon realizing the noises escaping his mouth, his amber eyes shot open, revelling the hotel room and shifted his head back to give a sheepish look to the blond who still held a wad of his hair in hand. The slight hue of pink dusted his freaked face, seeming to make him much younger then he already was. 

Before either could speak a word, the silence was killed by the piercing laughter of the prince, who had shoved his phone down to watch the awkward exchange in high spirits. “ Oh my gods, Gladio! What the hell was that? I can’t believe what I just heard!”

“ Oh shut up princess!” Gladio growled, waving his hand to the annoying prince who was not leaning on his back and wiping an invisible tear from his eyes.

Yeah. Let him have his fun.

“ Ok, ok! Fine.” He chuckled, laughter finally dying down. He lay back down on the bed, deciding that playing his game was more enjoyable, but sent one more smirk their way. “ I’ll behave like a good prince and not interrupt your date.”

Prompto’s face became more red. If that were even possible.

“Noct! It’s not a date! Grow the hell up!”

“Sure.” The prince grinned, not taking his eyes away from the screen. 

Prompto sighed, not pleased with his friends teasing. Once he knew for sure the raven would shut up and tend to his game characters did he get himself situated again, and forced Gladio’s head straight, fingers going back into his hair, with a small frown on his face.

“Sorry about this Prom."

Prompto hummed. “ Don’t worry about it. They left it at that. 

Some twenty minutes later, when Prompto was sure the knots where undone, he grabbed the brush that lay just a few inches to his person and started to brush Gladios hair in long strokes. The brush never stopped to being caught in any knots, which he was happy about. Thrilled even. He started from the front to the back. Over and over again, never showing any promise in stopping.

The wondering feeling sent Gladio into a trance. His body was relaxed and content. This he could get used to. It reminded him of his sister, Iris, when they were younger, was obsessed with putting braids and bows in his long hair. She could have done it to herself, but she never let her hair grow out. Instead, Gladio became her dress up doll. But he never complained. His sister meant the world to him, more than he could ever say out loud in the open. She was a good kid, kind and smart and in tune witho others feelings, much like himself. So he did whatever he could to make her happy. 

He was so concentrated on his thinking, that he didn’t even notice that Prompto had gotten up from the bed,went rummaging through his bag, muttering words to himself, only to return moments later and plopped himself back onto the bed. The movement of the bed was what caught his attention and pulled him from his endless dreaming.

“Hey, you were so out of it there. You ok?” Prompto asked, blue eyes locked and amber red ones.

Gladio nodded. “Yeah. It felt so good, and I was thinking too hard. Sorry about that.”

Prompto smiled widely, white teeth showing. “ Aw , thanks big guy! What we’re you thinking about if you don’t mind me asking. “

“ My sister.”

“Oh.”

He nodded and continued. “ Just childhood stuff and all. My sister used to do this with for me a lot when we were younger. Have any excuse to brush my hair. Gods know she couldnt do it for herself. Not with it so short and all. She put all sorts of crazy stuff in my hair to make me look ‘pretty’. You know it, she would have tried to put it in at some point. “

Prompto closed his eyes and tried to picture the events at hand. A chuckle broke out when a form of Gladio, frowning and fighting back with his sister took form while she fought tooth and nail to put in pink bows into his hair.

“Well, that’s just what sisters do right? Correct me if I’m wrong, as I don’t have a sister. But I’m pretty sure they have to make sure their brothers become gentlemen and must always look their best. How else will they attract dates?” he added, chuckling again which had Gladio smiling back too.

“Yeah.”

Smiling to himself, Prompto looked down at the mop of hair, studying it for a be rid moment until an idea popped into his head.

“ Say Gladio, what did Iris do most with your hair?”

“She braided it.” Gladio replied back, puzzled by the question.

“ Want me to braid it for you?”

Gladio’s eyebrow rose into his hair, perplexed at the request. “ You know how to braid hair?”

“ Well, sure I do. I’ve done it a few times before. Though it had been a while, I know how to do it. “ was all he said as he pulled at the rubber band that he had retriever earlier from his bag, now tightly wrapped around his wrist with a snap and got to work. He separated Gladio’s hair into three strips, and soon started to weave the hair together, crossing them over one another with gentle fingers.

Again, Gladio relaxed and closed his eyes, willing for the blond to continue his work and just enjoy the overall feeling of someone doing something for him for a change. It was rare, as every one just assumed he never needed to help or he never needed any. Far from it. A guy could use the help once in a while. Still, the more than hand braided, his feelings for his sister never faltered. How the memories soon started to haunt him so. Not even a moment before, or so he thinks, the hands working his hair stopped while said hand was now pressing into his shoulder, grabbing his attention.

“Alright big guy, all done!” Prompto chimed proudly from behind.

As Prompto moved back to allow more room, Gladio lifted himself off of the floor and Walter into the bathroom, ignoring the looks from two of his companions. He was too engrossed on how it turned out. He was anticipating the reaction. Upon reaching the mirror, he gave himself a through look over. 

His once horrid nest, not even an hour ago was now drawn in a tight French brain, starting from the top of his head and trailed down to the side where a still piece crawled over to the side of his neck, just below his ear. At first, he wondered why it trailed to the side, but the longer he looked at it, it actually suited him very well.  
Reaching a hand upwards, he brushed his fingers along the bounded hair, admiring the work. His hair was soft to the touch, and shiny, and just looked so good under the poor light the bathroom provided. Still, the work was impressive. Not a single hair stuck out unevenly and each strand even. He could honestly say the work performed here tonight was with the utmost care.  
Gladio couldn’t have asked for better.

When he decided that he looked at himself long enough,he exited the bathroom and saw Prompto who stood up, basically bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting for his return. His eyes were beaming, literally sparkling with delight. His cheeks were once again dusted with pink, showing off his youth.

“Well?”

Unable to hold out any longer, Gladio crossed his arms, smiling slyly. “It’s perfect , kid.”

Prompto gave out a small chirp of delight and threw his bands behind his back, rocking slightly side to side, blush getting more and more darker. “Aww, thanks! I’m so glad you like it!”

“ My word , what happened here?”

Both males turned their head towards the sound of the voice to find Ignis standing at the doorway, papers and a map under his arm and a mug of what could have been coffee and tea in the other. His hair was looking tossed and glasses sliding off his nose, but most of all, the confusion in his eyes spoke louder than words.

Prompto stepped forward and answered. “ I did his hair, Ignis! Isn’t it great?”

Placing the papers on the desk beside the bed and giving the shield a lookover,he nodded. “ It looks absolutely wonder Prompto. Certainly suits his personally I think. Stunning job. Now, I think it would be a good time to head to bed, yes? It is rather late, and we have a productive day tomorrow, so I want us all to be well rested.” 

Groaning, Prompto glanced at the clock. At seeing the numbers displayed on the screen, his eyes grew wide in shock. It was nearly midnight. Never would he had assumed so. 

“ Holy! Time sure went fast!” He said and gave out a laud yawn, followed immediately by Ignis and Gladio. They all chuckled softly.

“ I will take this yawn as an indefinite sign that it’s time to sleep. I know His Highness has already beat us to it. “ Ignis said, looking over his shoulder to the man in question. 

Noctis was already passed out, face down in a pillow and drooling away in a deep sleep. His phone, screen still bright with the display of his character waiting for a command was now dropped to his side where it had fallen from loose fingers. Ignis had reached for the phone and turned it off and placed it gently on the nightstand.

They took that queue to get into their respective beds, each one eager to drift off than the next. Ignis was the first one to drift off. He was spent, to the point for the first time in forever, he was snoring lightly. That’s how exhausted he was.

Prompto was next, or so he had hoped, but just as he was about to drift off, he ears picked up in a series of shuffling off to his side, perking his interest and decided to figure out what the problem was.

“Hey big guy, you ok?”

Finding out he had been caught, Gladio turned to look at the blond, whose face was now half glowing by the moons light which had crept within the curtains. It could never amazing him more at just how young their youngest companion could look by just light alone. Scary to think about.

“ Yeah, I’m fine. Just wanted to say thanks for what you did. I really appreciate it.”

Prompto smiled, lips turned upward and eyes closing behind their lids. “ I’m still glad you liked it. And think nothing of it. Maybe I can do it again in the future.”

That had Gladio thinking. A lot for some reason. He didn’t know why, but the idea of Prompto braiding his hair more often gave a soft pang of joy through his heart. The gesture was simple enough, but it meant a lot to him. A quick yawn pulled him away as he smirked at the tiring blond who was fighting to keep his eyes open.

“Well big guy, I think we should sleep. I’m fighting a losing batter here, and I’m not talking about that hunt earlier.”

Snorting, Gladio knew the feeling all to well and gave in. Sleep was a must and damn will he get scolded by Ignis if he forbade that command. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day, so mind as well sleep now.

“ Yeah,I agree. Night kid.”

Hoping to hear a response back, Gladio glanced over his shoulder, wondering why he blond had stayed silent when he came to the conclusion. He smiled to himself, eyes resting upon the blond who was now passed out, just like the others, blissfully unaware of the world around them. Patting the blond on the head, he turned his back to him and he himself, feel asleep just moments later, but not before ghosting his fingers along his braided hair, taking in each curve and bend before finally succumbing to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. This is the first fanfic I have written in about 8 years, so I am a bit rusty, so yeah...
> 
> Please let me know what you think and let me know of any ways I can improve my writing.


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